Buttnekkiddoodles

Tintoretto. Been reviewing his work and pics from my recent visit to Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice. In particular, some really dynamic figures from the Crucifixion in the Sala dell’Albergo, the room off the main hall on the second floor. This massive oil on canvas painting, is 17.5 ft tall by 37 ft wide. Many figures are life size or damn near.
My sketch is of a very dramatic figure in the lower left helping raise the poor soul nailed to a cross. The idea here is to draw like a bat outta Hell in order to retain some of the fury with which Tintoretto worked. Known as Il Furioso for proceeding at a break neck pace you’ll wanna be sure you’re taking the corners on two wheels. Take a look at a close up of two figures to the left of the Crucified Christ. The incredible figure bearing the cross beam of the cross in an exquisitely stressed posture no model could have held for any length of time before their thighs started trembling and their calves cramped and their toes seized up. To his credit Tintoretto was a devout student of anatomy and more than capable of winging it should poses become outrageous. Juxtapose that with the bastard on the horse casually leaning forward and talking to someone while his steed munches of boughs. Hunh, chillaxing while people all about him are being staked to post and hung till the moaning stops and the buzzards show up.
When I first saw these paintings 44 years ago, I was mixed in my feelings about the abrupt an grimy way they were painted. But given that the dude had such a large commission, one of 55 he painted at San Rocco in a 23 year stretch, and the savagery of the images, the dark skies and angry brushwork truly move me. Artists had to bid out commissions which covered assistants, studios, scaffolding and pigments, so you could see another reason to go sparingly with expensive lapis lazuli and the Venetian taste for brilliant color and succulent palettes.
I don’t intend to wait decades before returning to gawk and draw before these powerhouse works.
I tossed in a pic of the adjoining Sala and a mystifying wooden sculpture just before you enter the Sala dell’Albergo. Could be a snake wrapping around a lustful sinner. The wages of sin being suited to the nature of the transgression. Your guess is good as mine.

 
 
 
Drawn on Tomoe River Paper with Faber-Castell Grip fountain pen, DeAtramentis Document brown ink and Pitt Artist Pens.

Four weeks in Italy. First stop, Venezia. First surprise, no tourist. We were them. Longs walks about the city were without crowds of any sort. Restaurants had 1:3 occupancy and those were Italians, many were workers and locals.
It had been 44 years since I was last there.

The flight was uneventful. Chicago to Dublin, switch planes and then fly to Venice. The alps are so close! When we landed at the airport across the water from Venice and then boarded the bus to Venice we could see very clearly the peaks of the Italian Alps and at that time of day, late afternoon, they were pink.

  

We had very enjoyable meals out and about but we also cooked some at our apartment. If you choose to do that, you’re well served to go to the Fish Market alongside the main canal. Not only was the selection of fish absolutely superb, the produce was glorious! It was December for Pete’s sake.

 
I returned to some locations I had first seen as a college kid. The Tintorettos and Tiepolos were grand. I spent over two and a half chilly hours sketching and gawking at huge Tintoretto canvases, and could have stuck around for another few hours but Giamila was chilled to the bone by then and the dinner bell was ringing.